Red Currant Jelly

Ingredients:

4 pounds of fresh red currants (you can leave stems on)

7 cups of white sugar

4 fluid ounces of liquid fruit pectin (optional)

1 cup of water

Place the currants into a large pot, and crush with a potato masher. Pour one cup of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain fruit through cheese cloth, and measure out 5 cups of juice.

Pour juice into large saucepan, and stir in the sugar. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat, and stir in liquid pectin. I choose not to add pectin because I am after a more intense currant flavor. I reduce the liquid by 1/4 of the amount to make a very intense currant jam.

Remove from heat and skim off foam from top. Ladle or pour into pint jars, filling until ½ inch of the top. Wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth. Cover with sterile lids and rings. Process covered in a bath of simmering water for 25 minutes. When jars cool the lids should seal tightly.

You can then add 2-3 tablespoon when making gravy for roast chicken, lamb, or venison. It’s a nice sweetener for sauces or spread on toast.

red currant bush

Collected berries are mashed with potato masher- leave stems on.

cooked fruit is then strained through cheesecloth- remove 5 cups of liquid.